Tuesday, October 13, 2009

How to create Project Charter in 7 Easy Steps

The Project charter is the document that officially starts the project. The charter is one of the most important documents on a project. It is essential for creating the project. The project can’t be official without Project Charter. Absence of Project Charter may create huge difficulties to Project Manager (My personal experience).

Below are seven easy steps to create project charter document.

To create a Project Charter, you must be quite clear about the project and its objectives. Begin the document by explaining the project objectives and effect of that project on organization. The charter basically reflect the usefulness of the project for company and its customers. And the main thing, you must to be convinced by it’s statement of purpose.

Make list of all the stakeholders and all the persons going to involve in the project. Define their roles and responsibilities. Organization chart can work pretty good here.

Developing Project Charter is a group activity. A single person cannot create project charter by alone. Before work on the project can commence, the project charter must be supported by the person in charge or a sponsor. The supervising person signs the project charter document to indicate approval.

Define the context and scope of the project, specifying who or what the project will affect. Include the expectations and limitations to the project and people affected by it.

Measurement is very important in any project. Project Charter document must have the measurable goals documented.

Risk analysis and plan are also quite important in project execution and planning. The Project Charter document should include contingency plans for possible risks.

Resource plan also need to be included in Project Charter document. Include a list of financial, material and staffing resources in project charter.

4 comments:

1) A high level WBS. To get to this point estimates have been made of what it will take to do the project. Capturing that concept in the Charter will highlight what the intent was, the customer's commitment is and uncover many assumptions.

2) Note the intended methodology. Since you are working IT, make sure that people know it is waterfall, agile, etc. and, since in most cases the team has no choice on this, whether it is appropriate.

1) A high level WBS. To get to this point estimates have been made of what it will take to do the project. Capturing that concept in the Charter will highlight what the intent was, the customer's commitment is and uncover many assumptions.

2) Note the intended methodology. Since you are working IT, make sure that people know it is waterfall, agile, etc. and, since in most cases the team has no choice on this, whether it is appropriate.